coccinelle ☆

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Description:
Program matching and transformation engine for C code

Type: Formula | Latest Version: 1.3.0@0 | Tracked Since: Dec 17, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Developer tools

Tags: c refactoring static-analysis code-transformation ocaml

Install: brew install coccinelle

About:
Coccinelle is a powerful program matching and transformation engine designed specifically for C code. It enables developers to write structural search-and-replace rules using a semantic patch language (SmPL) that resembles standard diff patches. This tool is invaluable for automating large-scale refactoring, enforcing coding patterns, and detecting bugs across complex codebases.

Key Features:

Semantic patch language (SmPL) for expressive transformations
Structural awareness of C syntax and types
Scalable analysis of large codebases
Integration with build systems and version control

Use Cases:

Automated refactoring of C code across large projects
Enforcing coding standards and security patterns
Detecting and fixing bug patterns statically

Alternatives:

Clang-Tidy – Part of LLVM toolchain; provides linting and some refactoring but uses different rule syntax
Coccinelle (standalone) – Same tool, but Homebrew formula provides easier installation and dependency management on macOS

License: GPL-2.0-only

Dependencies: ocaml, pcre

Bottles available for: arm64_tahoe, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, sonoma, arm64_linux, x86_64_linux

Version History

Detected	Rev	Change	Commit
Dec 15, 2024 4:35am	0	VERSION_BUMP	cff8c0d2
Dec 14, 2024 7:58pm	0	VERSION_BUMP	8f5744fc
Nov 17, 2024 8:37pm	0	VERSION_BUMP	31a50bed
Nov 12, 2024 4:42pm	0	VERSION_BUMP	4ee0c80e
Nov 12, 2024 3:33pm	0	VERSION_BUMP	32ba3166
Sep 11, 2024 1:54pm	0	VERSION_BUMP	9eab5d6b
Jan 19, 2024 12:09am	1	VERSION_BUMP	d903908c